Brothers-in-Arms
by lord of lannister
Summary: Daddy!Klaine. Valerie Hummel-Anderson doesn't need to be imprisoned in the highest room of the tallest tower or even be guarded by a fire-breathing dragon when she has two dads and a very over-protective little brother! So what does the young man in love with her have to do? Read on to find out! Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

**_[A/N: Aaaand here's another. Thank the stars I'm being even this productive! This is a two-part story primarily because it turned out so long I thought it best to break it up and post it. A few readers wanted a story with an extended role for my OC Valerie, so I hope this satisfies! I hope to post the next part sometime before next weekend, work pressure permitting! Anyhoo... Enjoy, and do leave a word if you liked it!]_**

_Oh wow! When did things get so complicated? How could this have happened in front of my eyes and how could I not even have __**seen**__ it?! How did it all even __**start**__?_

_But wait. __**Now**__ I get it.__** Now**__ it all makes sense! So __**that's**__ what it was really all about!_

* * *

"No."

"But why not?!"

"Because it's not my thing!"

"Don't be silly! You've never even _done_ one before! How can you know it's not your thing?!"

"Well... coz I know, alright?"

"Aw, c'mon, Drae! It'd be so cool!"

"Romancing _you?_ Yeah right!"

"Oh shut up! Why do you always have to think that way? It's the lead, ok, and I think you'd be perfect as Drew!"

"I don't want to be in a stupid musical, ok?! I'm a rockstar."

"And this is _Rock of Ages_! You loved the show!"

"Doesn't mean I ever want to be _in _it!"

"I give up. You're an impossible git!"

"Why thankee kindly!"

"Urrrghhh!"

* * *

Drake watched Valerie stomp away in sheer frustration after having failed to convince him to play the male romantic lead opposite her in their high school's production of _Rock of Ages._ He settled back on the couch, not particularly happy that he'd pissed off his sister, but glad that he'd been able to hold his own for once against her.

He sighed when Blaine pointedly took up the seat just vacated by Val.

There was that pregnant silence, the pre-cursor to every one of Blaine's paternal lectures, but this time it was Drake who chose to snap it.

"Betcha gonna tell me I was outta line with Val just now?" he sighed.

Blaine merely shrugged.

"You reckon you were out of line with Val just now?"

A frown of exasperation began forming on Drake's brows.

"Quit playing games, Dad! Just say what you have to say to me."

Blaine looked over at his son, as though measuring him up with his eyes, then asked softly,

"What's your dream role?"

Drake looked at him, frankly surprised.

"What?"

"What's your dream role? In any musical?"

Drake shrugged and shook his head, not saying anything.

Blaine didn't press him.

They sat in silence, watching the soccer game play out on the TV until they heard Kurt's shout out for dinner.

Blaine was about to lift himself off from his seat, when he heard a soft voice beside him say,

"Stacee Jaxx."

"What?" This time it was Blaine's turn to feel surprised.

"Stacee Jaxx. The ultimate rockstar. You wanted to know? Well then,_ that's _ my dream role."

Blaine frowned, perplexed.

"Then what are you waiting for, son?! Go get it! This could be the opportunity of a lifetime!"

Drake fidgeted, looking uncertain.

"I'm only a freshman, Dad. There's no way they're gonna give such an iconic role to me."

Blaine grinned, coming forward to clap Drake on the shoulder.

"Who says they're gonna _give _ it to you? You've gotta go out there and _take _ it from them!"

* * *

Kurt studied the boy sitting beside him with an unusual amount of interest. It wasn't usual for Steven to ask for advice. And especially not from him. And most especially not in matters such as these!

Kurt had never even known him to be interested in music before!

Yet here he was, perched on the very edge of the couch, twisting his fingers in his lap and unable to meet his eyes, begging for his help in landing a role in the school musical.

A small smile curled across Kurt's face. He was willing to bet whatever he had that there was a girl in the picture somewhere.

* * *

"Go with Guns n' Roses or Aerosmith for the audition. You've gotta give them something big. But not 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'. Not yet. Not for the audition. That would most certainly be going for overkill. But you'll still need to show them you own the stage. Every single inch of it."

Blaine paced up and down the basement as he laid out his gameplan to prep Drake before his big audition. Drake watched him from the floor, sitting with his knees drawn up to his chin.

"Stacee Jaxx is a larger than life figure and yeah, you're right, they'd probably never consider a freshman for the job. But _you,_" Blaine jabbed a finger in the direction of his son, "Are no ordinary freshman. You are the ONLY one who can pull off Stacee. That's what we've gotta go for here. We have to blow the competition out of the water before they even start!"

Drake huffed and pulled a hand through his hair.

"So whaddya think I should sing, Dad?"

Blaine tapped his chin.

" 'Paradise City', ideally. But any other GnR/ Aerosmith/ ACDC song along the same lines ought to do fine. Take your pick, kiddo. But remember, make it as sensational as you possibly can."

* * *

Kurt pursed his lips, bouncing his patent-leather clad feet gently in the air as he mulled their choices.

"The thing about Drew is he has to be flexible. Angry young man rock n' roll to little boy pop. He's got to be able to pull off both equally convincingly. But before that, we need a little preview of your singing voice, Steven. For Drake, I'd have suggested 'I've Been Waiting' without a doubt, but... for you... I don't want you to do 'Juke Box Hero' or 'Rock You Like a Hurricane', those would be right up your street. Drew is lead, so you'll be looking to impress the producers to land it. Go for something more heartfelt. We'll try 'Every Rose Has Its Thorns' and 'Here I Go Again' and pick between the two, ok?"

Steven looked more uncomfortable than ever.

* * *

"Wait, you... _what?!_ Since when do you sing, man?!"

Brent shuffled his feet in front of his best friend, blushing a little despite himself.

"Yeah, well, Rock of Ages was pretty cool and it'll probably be epic when we do it and I didn't want to be fighting you for Stacee Jaxx, so... Just thought I'd try out, ya know?"

Drake was still unable to believe his ears but he let out a loud guffaw and slapped his friend on the back.

"Well, I definitely hope you get it then! You'll make Drew real badass, man! I can't wait to see it!"

Brent regarded Drake out of the corner of his eyes, but he seemed genuinely excited and happy for him. It only made his heart constrict further in his chest.

* * *

Valerie marched down the hallway locker stacks, a sheet of paper clutched tightly in her fist, her eyes nearly bulging with incredulity.

"_You're_ playing Drew?!"

Brent nearly jumped at the unexpected encounter and tried to get a proper look at the sheet being brandished in his face.

"I- I got it?"

He sagged weakly against his locker, the beginnings of a wave of euphoria spreading through his chest. This was probably the best thing to have ever happened to him in his life!

"Yeah!" Valerie still couldn't contain her outrage.

"I can't believe it! You're a _freshman!_ And I didn't even know you sang! I was positive it was going to be Tyler. He's a senior and _especially_ perfect for the part..."

Valerie's voice trailed away, a sappy faraway look entering her eyes.

Which was probably why she didn't notice the glower entering Brent's eyes and the set of his jaw before he slammed the door of his locker, abruptly jerking her out of her reverie and stalking down the hallway in the opposite direction for his next class.

Valerie looked on after him in annoyance, her hands planted on her hips.

It was the role of her career and wasn't it just her luck to be paired up with a kid!

* * *

"Hey, uh... Dad?"

Kurt looked up this time to find his son regarding him a trifle more hesitantly than he normally did, so he smiled encouragingly and patted the bed beside him.

"What's up, son?"

"I think I need your help with something."

Kurt's heart started beating faster. He knew Drake generally preferred going to Blaine whenever he needed any help, just like Valerie preferred coming to him. It had been an embarrassingly long time since he'd had an opportunity to connect with his son one-to-one. Mentally, he rebuked himself for it and resolved never to let it be this long again.

"Mmhmm?" he responded, sitting up to pay closer attention.

Drake fidgeted with the bedsheets.

"Look, I know you're not exactly into rock glamour so much, but I just got the role of Stacee Jaxx in the school's production of _Rock of Ages_ and... I think I'm gonna need your help and expertise if I want to do this right."

Kurt's eyes widened in surprise.

"You got picked for... _Stacee Jaxx?!_ Oh my God, Drake! That's so wonderful! I'm so proud of you, sweetheart!"

Drake smiled lop-sidedly, glad to hear his father's praise.

Kurt wrapped him in his arms, squeezing tight even though the teenager wriggled in protest.

"Daaaad! Leggo!"

Kurt grinned, his eyes twinkling mischievously as he finally drew back.

"Don't you worry, honey, I think I've got the perfect costume idea for you!"

* * *

Surprisingly, Valerie found, Brent was turning out to be a very good Drew opposite her Sherri. He was very easy to work with, and his emotions seemed to come to him quite naturally. Reluctantly she found herself complimenting him.

"You know, I never really thought of you as an actor, Brent."

They were sharing Red Bulls in the cafeteria in between rehearsals. Right now, Drake was on-stage, preparing for his intimate scene with the girl playing Constance.

Brent looked over at her with an eyebrow raised rather smugly.

"Guess you don't know everything about me yet then."

Val gave him a playful shove.

"Don't get so cocky!"

Brent feigned hurt.

"Cocky?! But I was only making a statement of fact!"

Val regarded him archly.

"Statement of fact, huh?"

Brent leaned back, his eyes hooded. Val leaned forward.

"Like what, for instance?"

"Like the _fact, _ for instance, that I try to work extra hard when I'm around you 'cause you're so perfect in the role that I'm dead scared of embarrassing you."

Val was caught totally off-guard. She blinked twice, blankly, before hurriedly drawing back.

"What?"

It came out far huskier than she'd intended and for some reason she felt her cheeks growing hot.

"I think you're really talented, Valerie. You're one of the most talented women I've ever met and... I know I've never told you this before... but I've always felt a little intimidated by you."

Val had to try hard to keep her jaw from dropping. Brent and her little brother had been the best of friends from a very early age and had pretty much grown up together. So she'd never really thought much more of him than as a kid and hadn't realized that he'd noticed her at all. But there wasn't a trace of falsity in Brent's tone and his expression was equally earnest. For the first time in her life, she actually found herself looking at Brent, not just as a kid or as her brother's best friend, but as a young man in his own right, and too her surprise, she found she was rather impressed by what she saw.

Brent had had a rough childhood. His father had been a good-for-nothing alcoholic who had abandoned his mother and him when Brent had been very young. His mother had moved in with her sister in New York and after several odd waitressing jobs, had turned to drink herself. Nowadays, she was more likely to be in a stupor than out of one and Brent was being raised (sort of) extremely reluctantly by his aunt and uncle. She knew how important Drake's friendship was for Brent, and that their house was probably the only place he felt at all welcome. They had all unconsciously adopted him into their family a long time ago and she had almost stopped noticing how often he was simply there at their house and staying for dinner.

He, however, was one of those guy-guys, in severe contrast to her fathers, who was never completely comfortable expressing their emotions or talking too much about themselves, but his fondness and gratitude to the Hummel-Andersons had always been evident in his behaviour with them. He'd never let the troubled situation in his own family life create any sort of tension in theirs. Brent treated Drake like a brother and their fathers with the utmost respect and with her, he'd never been anything less than accomodating. But, Valerie was slowly coming to realize, maybe his polite reticence had only masked the growth of a certain distant fascination with her, perhaps the only positive female figure in his life, and that till now, like all teenage boys, he'd simply been to shy to articulate it.

Good God! Valerie thought to herself, did Brent _like_ her?! But she had always considered him as a sort of second little brother herself! Could she ever treat him as something... more?

She found her eyes travelling over his physique. He was tall, though not as much as Drake, and handsome, in a rugged street-smart sort of way, with shoulder length sandy-brown curls and a never-quite completely shaved stubble. He was well-built and even though he hardly worked out, his sleeveless t-shirt stretched attractively over his shoulders and chest. His eyes, which often seemed hooded and guarded, held depths Val realized she found enigmatic and his rogue-ish lop-sided grin was one some women might have found incredibly sexy.

All of a sudden, Val felt herself getting unusually flustered and her hands were trembling slightly. She tried to cover it up by standing up abruptly and stuffing her hands in her pockets, attempting to maintain a cool exterior.

"Yeah, well, thanks. I- I mean you really needn't have. I'm... just me, ya know."

She shrugged a little lamely.

Brent flashed that winning grin at her as he got up too.

"But you're really something, Val."

He preceded her, striding out the cafeteria door and Val leaned for a moment against the table, wondering why her heart was threatening to beat right out of her chest.

* * *

"So is he bigger than me?" her brother playfully teased, glancing up from the comic book he was reading at the opposite end of the bed.

Valerie frowned in irritation.

"What're you talking about?"

"The guy you're dating," he stated simply.

Valerie struggled to keep her face impassive.

"Oh? And how do you know I'm dating anyone? I broke up with Kevin almost three months ago."

"Oh please!" Drake huffed in indignation, "You haven't stopped texting since we got back home!"

Val's fingers paused in the air above her phone's touchscreen, alarmed. Had she been _that_ obvious?!

"You haven't answered my question. Is he bigger than me?"

Val scowled at him, more to hide her own trepidation than any actual concern.

"Why do you want to know?"

Drake shrugged non-chalantly.

"So I know how much protection I'm going to need when I go over to beat him up for harbouring unchaste thoughts about my sister like the good little over-protective brother that I am."

This time, Val caught him smack in the face with her pillow.

* * *

She felt the little stars bursting somewhere inside her brain as she came down from her orgasmic high and giggled breathlessly into her lover's bare, sweaty shoulder.

"Ok... wow! Like... wow!"

Her lover shifted himself and collapsed next to her, breathing heavily himself.

"Wow to you too!"

She turned an unadulteratedly exhilarated grin to him and scooted closer. He stretched out his arm so she could nestle against him.

"Happy anniversary, sweetheart," he whispered, tenderly kissing the lobe of her ear.

She looked up to meet his lips in a long, heated kiss.

"Two years. How did we make it this long?"

He shrugged in mock-humility.

"Maybe because I'm the best actor off Broadway and a master of disguise to boot?"

She smacked him playfully but he caught her arms and they rolled about, tickling and wrestling until they came up in an entirely inappropriate position.

"You do realize you're risking your life continuing this doomed affair with me, don't you?"

His eyes widened.

"Doomed? _Affair?! _ I thought this was the real deal!"

Val sighed with exaggerated patience.

"Brent. I am guarded by not one, not two, but _three _ over-protective males. How long do you think we'll be able to keep this up?"

Brent snaked an arm behind his head and looked at her with a curious expression.

"Really? Could've fooled me! So where have these three over-protective males been for the last two years?"

Val jabbed his chest with her finger.

"Only because you're a snake in the grass and have made mince-meat of their implicit trust in you!"

Brent grinned without the slightest hint of shame.

"Ah but who can resist such devilish temptation as you, my beloved?"

Val twisted her lips.

"You're lucky I came away to college early on, or you'd have had nowhere to hide your sorry ass!"

Brent reached down under the sheets and did something to make his girlfriend squeal.

"_My _ sorry ass indeed! Watch who you're calling yellow, woman! Remember me once doing _this _ on someone's basement couch?"

Swiftly he caught her up in his arms and flipped her over, pinning her under him and bringing his face dangerously close to hers.

Val's heart rate quickly tripled as she felt his hot breaths against her face and looked into the smouldering fire in his eyes. A familiar heat flared again between her legs. She raked her nails lightly down his back, making him shiver with anticipation.

"I love you, Valerie Hummel-Anderson, and I don't care if you have two fathers or twenty. You are mine forever and you better never forget that."

Despite the circumstances, Val gave him a wry grin.

"Oh but it's not my fathers I would be worried about if I were you, my tiger. More like my brother... and your best friend!"

* * *

"I want to marry your daughter."

Absolute pin-drop silence descended around the dinner table as Steven Brent got to his feet to make this statement as they were just wrapping up a lovely Sunday dinner. The three other men sitting around the table froze rather comically, Drake even with a spoon of pudding halfway to his mouth.

Valerie's eyes were fixated upon him and Brent was beginning to get a little unnerved by the lack of response. He shifted his feet uncomfortably, a heated flush beginning to creep up the side of his neck.

"You... what?"

Kurt's voice was soft with a dangerous edge attached to it.

"I...uh- would be honoured to be allowed your daughter's hand in marriage."

Brent forced himself to look Kurt in the eyes. He could be terrifying when pulling his anger-simmering-just-below-the-surface act.

"_You?!_"

Drake's voice was simply disbelieving.

"Why?!"

Brent's cold gaze found his best friend's frankly astonished one.

"Because we've been dating for the last three years and I have been in love with her for far more."

Drake had gotten off his chair and was coming round to face him. Brent couldn't quite read the look in his eyes.

"Drae..." his sister hissed, trying to caution him, but seemingly to no avail.

He and Brent were now face to face.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this before-"

He didn't have a chance to complete his sentence. Drake's punch caught him square in the jaw, completely unprepared. He crumpled as though he was made of tin-foil.


	2. Part 2

_**A/N: Sorry folks, work was a bitch this week, I'm even posting this on the go!Anyway, enjoy. This is the final part.**_

_"What the hell is the matter with you, you ruddy gangster!"_

Drake paid no attention to his sister's raging, as Blaine physically held her back from attacking him. He was still staring down in shock at the body of his best friend lying in an unconscious heap at his feet, his mind whirling like a tornado.

_Oh wow! When did things get so complicated? How could this have happened in front of my eyes and how could I not even have __**seen**__ it?! How did it all even __**start**__?_

_But wait. __**Now**__ I get it. __**Now**__ it all makes sense! So __**that's**__ what it was really all about!_

Slowly he turned to face his livid sister.

"So it was him, huh? The boyfriend you couldn't even talk to me about? When did you two start- start- ? No wait, let me guess."

He snapped his fingers.

"Rock of Ages, right? Wow! I was so _blind! That's _ why he wanted Drew!"

He uttered a mirthless laugh.

"Had to learn to sing or he could never win your heart!"

Valerie's eyes flashed with anger as she struggled uselessly against her father's grip.

"What's it to you, huh?! It's none of your business!" she nearly screamed.

Drake walked up to her very deliberately, until they were eye-to-eye.

"Because you're my _sister_," he said in a low menacing growl, " And because I've always trusted you...NOT TO KEEP SECRETS FROM ME!"

"You're a maniac!"

Val had tears of frustration in her eyes.

"How could you hit your_ best friend?!_"

Drake pondered her words.

"My best friend huh? Perhaps even more. I've always regarded him as a brother. And you and he, gettin' cosy, _and you never even thought to __**tell**__ me?!_"

For the first time, Drake let the hurt of this revelation shine through in his eyes. Valerie stilled.

"Drae. I... "

"Forget it."

He was backing away from her, and she could see that this time he was the one with tears in his eyes.

"You're right. My sister is... _none of my business_. I've just- just _had _ it with you and your lies, you know that?!"

And before anyone could stop him, he fled from the dining room.

* * *

Brent squinted in the darkness, holding a hastily wrapped ice-pack to his throbbing jawline, as he descended the basement steps.

"Go away."

He stopped.

"Drake..."

"I have nothing to talk to you about and you have nothing I want to hear, so scram!"

Brent frowned in irritation.

"Would you stop being so damn theatrical and just _listen _ to me, man?!"

A single lamp lit up in the far corner of the room, illuminating the hunched figure sitting beneath it as a silhouette.

"Oh? So _now _ you want me to listen?! Had nothing to tell me for so long, did you, you son of a bitch, and _now _ he suddenly wants to talk!"

Brent had to remind himself that he would only be wounding his own cause if he blew his fuse right now, which he was dangerously close to doing.

"I love Val," he began, doing his best to keep his voice calm and level.

"I really do."

Drake remained quiet for a second.

"So? Go on and love her."

He sounded a little too flippant for Brent's liking.

"God dammit!" he swore, losing his cool.

"Whaddya want me to say, huh? Yes, I was always attracted to her but was too shy to tell her how I felt. Yes, I wanted the part of Drew to finally get a chance to get close to her before she graduated high school and maybe walked out of my life forever. Yes, we started dating and we've been steady ever since, but I wanted to get a job before we told anyone exactly how serious we were! And now the insurance company is offering me a job. A real job! Not just some internship, and I can even get transferred to New York if I want!"

"So you're leaving Chicago?"

Drake's voice was awfully quiet.

Brent hesitated, biting his lip.

"When were you planning on telling me that?"

"I... Like, now, man! Look-"

"So this is why you insisted we come home this weekend, huh? So you could pop the question to my sis? Wow! This is all beginning to make sense now!"

Brent cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Uh... I actually already proposed to her. She- she's said yes..."

Drake didn't reply for a long time. Brent continued to wait, uneasily in the dark, unable to make out the expression on his face.

"Drake, I..."

"Fuck off, man. Just... get out of my sight, a'right? I don't even want to talk to you anymore."

It was the bitterness in his tone that hurt Brent the most. Not knowing what else to do, he decided it was best for the moment to leave.

* * *

For once, Kurt and Drake agreed with each other. This was not a match they approved of.

"The boy has no prospects!" Kurt spluttered.

"Is he going to eat off Valerie all his life?! No. I simply refuse to let that happen!"

Drake was still smouldering in silence. Val and Brent's secret love affair had hurt him much more deeply than he cared to admit. That two of the people he was closest to in the whole world, whom he trusted implicitly with his own secrets, had kept something so important from him, kept gnawing upon his insides. Thus, Kurt paced restlessly, up and down the bedroom floor, while Drake sat with his knees drawn up on his parents' bed.

"I'm sorry, Dad," he finally mumbled. Kurt stopped to look at him in surprise.

"I'm sorry I brought him into this house. I'm sorry I made him my best friend."

Kurt's crystal blue eyes softened as he saw how much his son had taken the whole situation to heart.

"Don't be silly, darling," he said, coming to sit beside him and running his fingers affectionately through his hair.

"I don't blame you for this. You couldn't have controlled any of it."

"I could have never introduced Brent to Val!" he muttered, vehemently.

Despite himself, Kurt smiled.

"Sweetheart? You don't have to worry so much. Your sister isn't going to stop loving you after she gets married, whenever and to whomever that might be," Kurt explained gently.

"You're not going to lose her, ok? I know her, and I know how much she loves her little Drae."

He smiled. Drake looked up at his father, his eyes swimming with hurt and uncertainty.

"But Dad! She _lied _ to me!"

Kurt nodded.

"Yes. She did. But I still don't think she meant to hurt you. You know she's just as protective of you as you are of her. But yes, even I could never have predicted that she and- and... _Steven_..."

Kurt shook his head in sheer incredulity.

"How in the world did my own daughter manage to keep it hidden from _me?!_"

* * *

Drake trudged back wearily to his own bedroom, but the day was not yet over. He stopped short when he saw Val waiting for him inside, wearing a stern expression.

"We need to talk," she said shortly.

Drake stiffened.

"I don't think so."

"Oh, but I do. Sit."

She patted the bed in front of her.

Drake took one step inside his room, but made no move to sit.

Val shrugged.

"Suit yourself. I want you to apologize for what you did to my fiance this evening."

Valerie had never been anything if not point blank with him. It was one of the things he had always appreciated most about her.

"No."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't aware I'd given you an option."

"I'm not going to apologize."

Valerie sighed and looked down at his bedspread.

"This is why we didn't tell you until now," she admitted, quietly.

"We knew you'd go ballistic about it."

Drake's eyes flashed.

"Yeah, well, anyone who wants a piece of my sister is going to have to go through me first!"

Val's jaw hardened as she looked up at him with steel in her eyes.

"Would you listen to yourself, Drae?! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

She got up and stepped forward, confronting him with her arms crossed across her chest.

"Look, little brother. You listen to me, and you listen to me good. You do not get to dictate who I date or who I fall in love with, get it? EVER! You're forgetting that I am an adult, in full possession of my faculties and, most importantly, _I'm older than you! _ So yes, thank you very much, but I know _exactly _ what I'm doing and require neither my fathers nor my brother acting as my moral guardians! Am I absolutely clear?!"

There were sparks flashing in the centres of her eyes as she leaned into her brother to make her point.

But Drake wasn't intimidated in the least.

"Crystal. So why bother coming here to tell me this, sis? Go ahead and do exactly what you want. I won't get in your way."

He stalked past her, not casting a backward glance, making every effort to ignore her presence still lingering in his room.

"I only wanted you to be happy for me, Drae," he heard her voice speak softly.

"I love Brent. I always have and I always will. And he loves me. So much. Why is that so hard for you to accept?"

Drake gripped the windowsill hard to keep himself from exploding in her face.

"Because it's _wrong, _ Val! And you don't even see it!"

This time Val frowned in perplexity, taking a couple of steps toward him.

"Wrong? Why- why would it be... wrong, Drake?"

Drake looked at her in desperation.

"C'mon sis! It's _Brent! _ You've known him as long as I have! He- he's a goof! He fools around! He's never serious about _anything! _ You can't do this with- with... _him! _ There's no _way _ he deserves you! No way he can _ever _ deserve you!"

And suddenly Valerie understood. She rushed forward and to Drake's utter surprise crushed him in a fierce hug.

"Oh Drae! You little dragonling, you!"

She drew back, and he was surprised to find her face wet with tears, even though she was smiling broadly.

"Drae, tell me something honestly. Which of my boyfriends have you ever actually _liked?_"

Drake thought back to her innumerable romances, flings, admirers, what-have-you's. Val had always been one of the most popular girls in school and had always preserved an enigma around herself that men had found very hard to resist.

"Dunno. You always dated such dill-holes."

She pulled him along and seated him beside her on the bed, cupping his cheek in her hand.

"Oh Drae. You know what? I think I finally get how you feel! Don't you think that I think that you date all the worst lot of sluts and bitches in the world? No girl is ever going to be good enough for my darling brother either! But you know what?"

Her eyes grew serious as she tried to make him understand.

"When you find that special someone who makes you as happy as Brent makes me, I promise, no matter how much of a whore I think she is, I won't stand in your way. Of course, I'm going to grill her like the CIA to find out her true intentions about you, but if she does right by you, if she loves you as much as you love her, I will look at your face and be happy for you. And I need you to do the same for me, li'l brother. Think you can do that?"

Drake felt like a tennis ball had lodged in his throat. He looked at his sister, at a loss for words.

Val looked away, scuffing her toe along the carpet.

"I want you to know that Brent and I never meant to hurt you, Drae. He- uh... We were talking just now and he even said he'd break up with me if you were going to have a problem with this relationship. He said he'd rather have his own heart broken than ever be a problem to our family. He loves you, Drae. More than you know. He regards you like his own brother, too, and the only reason he made that announcement at dinner was because he wanted to do the right thing and get our Dads blessings himself."

Drake reached out a trembling hand and gripped his sister's firmly.

"You really love him?" he asked in a low voice.

Val nodded.

"Yes."

"And he really, honestly loves you back?"

"Yes."

"And- and he makes you... happy?"

Val chuckled.

"Yes he does, believe it or not!"

Drake let a single tear roll down his cheek before looking up with his jaw set.

"Fine. If you're sure, then I- I guess its ok. You can marry the rodder."

Valerie laughed and threw her arms around him once more.

"Thank you, my over-protective dragonlord! I'm sure my fiance will be _most _ grateful for your approval!"

"He better be," Drake growled.

Val gave a sigh, standing up.

"Well, one down, one to go."

Brother and sister caught each others' eye.

"Kurt?"

"He's going to be even tougher to crack than you, isn't he?"

"Take an umbrella," Drake warned.

"There's going to be tears."

Val grinned ruefully.

"You got Blaine to agree already?" he asked, a little curiously.

"Dad was way ahead of you two. He's always been fond of Brent and besides, he claims true love needs its champions and he had always put himself up for it. I've drafted him in for Operation Kurt-Krack. I think that's where I'm going to need him the most."

Drake grinned.

"Happy landings, sis!"

Val rolled her eyes.

"I can only wish!"

* * *

They sat on the steps outside, in a companionable silence, but not yet up to making eye-contact.

Brent awkwardly cleared his throat, deciding to take the plunge and break the ice.

"So Val had a talk with you, huh?"

"Mmhmmm."

"So what'd she say?"

"That I should give you a second chance."

"And... what'd you say?"

"That I'd hunt you down and kick your ass if you caused her even the tiniest bit of pain."

Brent cringed.

"Wait, that doesn't include labour, does it?"

Drake turned absolutely shocked eyes to him, rendered speechless for a full minute.

Brent punched him in the arm, affectionately.

"Kidding, man! Relax! Geez, you look like you're gonna pop a blood vessel or something!"

Drake finally dared to breathe again.

Brent regarded him askance.

"So... we cool?"

Drake didn't reply for a couple of heartbeats, then nodded, letting out a sigh.

"Yeah, we cool. But I still hate you for keeping me in the dark about it for so long."

Brent grimaced.

"Yeah, sorry about that, man. Like, really."

The two boys sat quietly for a couple of minutes more.

"So you're really gonna marry my sister? Takes some getting used to!" Drake commented, letting out a long breath and stretching.

"Yeah, in the family officially! But I think Val wants to wait a while before the wedding. She and I are both just getting set up, workwise, so... A year atleast."

Drake nodded agreeably.

Brent dithered before asking him his next question.

"So hey, I was, uh- wondering if I could ask you a favour..."

Drake looked over at him suspiciously.

"What kind of favour?"

"Will you be my Best Man?"

Drake blinked in astonishment.

"M-me?"

"Yeah you! Who'd you think I was gonna ask?!"

"Oh. Yeah, wow! Absolutely man! It'd be my pleasure!"

Brent laughed in relief, yanking his best friend once more and now, soon to be brother-in-law towards him. They clapped each other on the back, hard, several times, before separating, gasping for breath.

"Hallelujah", pronounced a voice above them.

The two young men separated and looked up to find Blaine gazing down at them, a big smile gracing his face.

"I'm glad my son finally managed to see sense, Steven," he remarked, setting himself down beside them.

Drake leaned over to address his father with a curious frown.

"You know, I never thought that _you, _ of all people, would let sis go this easily, Dad."

Blaine smiled a sly Cheshire Cat smile.

"Well, I suppose that's because out of all of you, I was the only one who had advance notice."

Brent's jaw dropped.

"Wait... _what?!_ You _knew?!_"

Blaine chuckled to himself, enjoying the great surprise he had orchestrated. Even Drake was looking at him with something akin to slack-jawed wonder.

"_How?!_"

Brent's eyes were nearly popping from his head.

Blaine's hazel eyes twinkled.

"Remember that one time you and Val were making out in the basement when you thought no one was watching?"

An ashen hue crept up Brent's face as he nodded.

"Remember why you guys finally decided to move it someplace else?"

Brent frowned, trying to recall.

"I think... Val said something about the thermostat being broken and it was freezing downstairs."

Blaine nodded matter-of-factly.

"Thermostat was fine. That was just me trying not to have the everlasting image of my daughter being violated by you imprinted on my brain!"

Just as he'd got it up, Brent's jaw dropped again and this time his face flushed a very dirty crimson.

"Holy smokes!"

Drake had gone alarmingly white.

"You... and sis... on the basement _couch?!_ Awww _maaan!_ I hang out there!"

Blaine pacified him with a wave of his hand.

"Not to worry, son. I had the cushions _thoroughly _ dry-cleaned!"

Brent couldn't look Blaine in the eye anymore.

"So how come you didn't rat us out?" he asked, his voice hitching with a combination of embarrassment and fear.

Blaine speared Brent with a look.

"I gave you a chance. I've watched you grow up, Steven. I know what sort of a boy you are. So I decided I'd cut you a break. But I had my eye on you."

Brent flushed even deeper, but Blaine looped an arm around his shoulders.

"But you've treated her like a princess. And I can see how happy she truly is with you. So despite everything, you have my blessing."

Brent looked up at Blaine with evident gratitude.

"But mind! If I _ever _ hear my daughter is the _slightest _ bit unhappy because of you-"

"Three over-protective males will hunt me down and kick my ass?"

Drake gave him a sly smirk and gripped his neck mock threateningly.

"Oh you have _no _ idea!"

**THE END**


End file.
